a blog by Lauren Cunningham

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About

Since moving to Seattle in 2014 I have eaten at over 200 restaurants. I’ve learned the city’s ins and outs by bussing to new neighborhoods and walking their streets, stopping into bakeries, breweries and burger joints along my path.

I’ve traveled all around the US and to 8 different countries. I’ve dined in dingy dive bars, late night diners and restaurants whose dishes are steeped, smoked, squid inked then plated like works of abstract, edible art. I find joy in food, and in sharing it with others.

Throughout my eight years in the restaurant industry I learned about people—how we all have different preferences, comfort zones and needs. That we aren’t all looking for the same things in life, or on a menu. I learned how to get to know a variety of people in order to anticipate their needs. We aren’t all the same, so why should all restaurant guides be?

I started Gastrono.me because I believe travel is a powerful experience that has the ability to change hearts and minds, especially with the impact of food. When we’re encouraged to look beyond the lists of standard tourist destinations we are treated with the opportunity of immersing ourselves in parts of a culture we otherwise may have overlooked. We are given the chance to see a place through our own eyes.